Mercedes Mone made her AEW debut on Wednesday’s Dynamite: Big Business episode from Boston. However, she did speak with WWE about a possible return.
The former WWE star began the Big Business episode with a promo, mentioning she had unfinished business with Willow Nightingale. She later saved Nightingale in the main event.
As PWMania.com previously reported, WWE knew in late December that they would not sign Mone after negotiations broke down due to financial differences. Before signing with Mone, she had gone back and forth with WWE and AEW.
According to Dave Meltzer’s latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Mone had talks with WWE in late 2022 and late 2023. Both times, WWE sources said she wanted more money than they were offering, “with reports she was seeking Becky Lynch-level money.”
Tony Khan’s offer was described as “very substantial, obviously higher than WWE, but considerably lower than the $5 million per year figure going around.”
A female WWE star stated that they had heard the figure was enough to make her the highest-paid woman in professional wrestling. This star was said to be overjoyed when AEW made such an offer and glad Mone accepted it because it opened up a better market for female talent to earn top dollar.
